BY DAVID KUSHMA
BLADE EDITOR
It was the kind of early-spring day — frigid, snow-dusted, drearily gray — that might cause a newcomer to Toledo from the Sun Belt to reconsider her decision to move here. …

3/29/2015 12:00 AM
Students need to be better prepared
Letters to the Editor
I was amazed by your March 16 article “New Ohio tests creating anxiety, anger; Educators, parents say assessments poorly implemented, time consuming.” It is not surprising that parents are anxious about the standardized testing of their youngsters’ reading, writing, and math skills. It is especially stressful that this testing rewards or punishes children depending on their success or failure …

3/29/2015 12:00 AM
Counselor recalls Ford as mentor, friend
Letters to the Editor
In 1989, I was introduced to Jack Ford, who passed away on March 21. A few weeks after we met, I became an employee of Substance Abuse Services Inc., which he created (“Jack Ford,” editorial, March 23). From then on, he became a mentor, a boss, and a friend. …

3/16/2015 12:00 AM
Korean War vets salute Ford for help
Letters to the Editor
When Jack Ford was mayor, Korean War Veterans Chapter 131 was trying to get a Korean War memorial built on the Civic Center Mall. Mr. Ford jumped in and helped us to get the memorial erected. For this, Chapter 131 will never forget him. …

3/29/2015 12:00 AM
No fracking on public land
During his first term, Gov. John Kasich wisely halted a plan that would have authorized hydraulic fracturing in state parks and forests. A reckless bill approved by the Ohio House last week would circumvent Mr. Kasich’s moratorium and open up state forests to the controversial method of oil and natural-gas drilling, with almost no oversight. The Senate should reject …

Featured Editorial: Home
Statehouse politicians are all for home rule and local control — except when they aren’t. A bad new state law imposes unreasonable restrictions on Ohio communities, including Toledo, that operate traffic cameras to identify and cite speeders and red-light runners. It deserves to be struck down. …

BY ELIZABETH S. RUPPERT
Over the past six decades of practicing pediatric medicine and being involved in this community, I’ve seen the hunger crisis in the Toledo area firsthand. As a board member of Feed Lucas County Children Inc., I continue to see local children and families struggle daily. There are unconscionable consequences of a lack of food. …